Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Revolving Door of Friendship

As a teacher teaching English in Japan, it is easy to get caught in the excitement of cherry blossoms, all-you-can-drink, sumo wrestling, and all of those other trivial things that we love as "gaijin". For many, it is an extension of the college party scene, especially for those who feel they missed out during those college days. For others, it is time of self-discovery, where you try to find meaning in everything you do.

Regardless, one thing that I was not prepared for when coming to Japan is the deep, meaningful friendships that will always come and go.

I've always approached this experience to be short-term. I figured I'll be here one, two or three years, have a little fun, then I'll move on to the next. But after a while, I realized that every other teacher has the same plan. The only difference is that while you're here, it becomes a revolving door of friendship. The people that you invest time with into building a relationship will soon be on there way, and it will be time again for you to start anew. You must grow accustomed to the bittersweet goodbyes with the close people that you created memories with, learned from, and grew to love. Of course this has its benefits and drawbacks, but the sad part is that it is not in your control. You have no choice but to ride the wave and see where it takes you. You just have to have faith that it will all make sense in the end.

So here is to another bittersweet goodbye.

I wish you all the best. I hope that you find what you are looking for.